Blogs

The global energy crisis is something that is on everyone’s radar and for which many people are seeking a solution. This summer I was lucky enough to undertake a summer placement at Tokamak Energy to help carry out some work that might be part of the solution. 

As a doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM) student, I have a slightly different schedule from most other students at the University of Sydney – part of our curriculum is attending industry placements during breaks.

About halfway through my first year as an undergraduate reading English literature, I decided I wanted to become an academic and teach at university. That meant I had to get a master’s and then a PhD.

I recently graduated with a master’s degree from Harvard University. Throughout the entire week, countless speakers and dignitaries – including Mark Zuckerberg and John Kerry – told us that I (and my classmates) would be the future leaders of the world.

But just seven years ago, it did not seem likely that I could pursue a college degree, let alone a graduate degree at Harvard. Growing up, I had always scoffed at academics and their “expert advice” because they often seemed so divorced from my reality.

Rhea Halley is an adult nursing student at Robert Gordon University

I am a student at Robert Gordon University and am undertaking a three-year nursing degree. I am specialising in adult nursing and am reaching the end of my second year. RGU has a balanced course of practical and theory.

Before deciding to apply to universities in the United States, the idea of a women’s college was foreign to me. I was unaware of how many there were and was puzzled as to why anyone would want to attend an institution that only admitted women. I was naïve to the concept, having only ever attended co-ed schools my entire life. I didn't think that I would fit in at an all girls’ school.

As a PhD researcher at the Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute in Glasgow, I spend my time looking at pancreatic cancer cells and how they use energy differently from normal cells. Finding this out could help us specifically target pancreatic cancer cells, leaving healthy cells unharmed.

I arrived in Harvard Square, my red hair frizzy from the flight, face flushed from the heat and in a state of panic. In that moment, I questioned why I had decided to put myself through the ordeal of moving to a foreign nation. Then I turned around and two friendly Boston residents offered to carry my bags. I was reminded that I was not alone and that in Cambridge, help was quite literally on every corner. 

I didn’t know about dyspraxia until a friend told me about it last year at yoga. A lot of the symptoms lined up with me so I decided to get tested a few weeks later.

I have been living and studying in Australia for 15 months now, but I am originally from the United States. I grew up in Minnesota where my family were avid outdoors-people. Like classic Minnesotans, summers were spent going on nature expeditions - hiking, fishing, camping - where I developed an appreciation for nature and wildlife.